Rate Your Keeper

This thread is simple, rate the premier league goalies in order of brilliance and suitability for the premier league right now!

We aren't taking into account previous brilliance, as may be the case for Jussi, Mark and Brad Friedal (all of whom would have featured near the top end during their peak), just current relative ranking of their powers. We aren't talking about potential either!

Here's my list, it contains only those who I think are number 1 for their club, you can add and include back-ups if you wish


01. Mignolet
02. Asmir Begovic
03. Joe Hart
04. Michel Vorm
05. Julio Caesar
06. John Ruddy
07. Ben Foster
08. Petr Cech
09. Tim Krul
10. Tim Howard
11. Brad Friedal
12. Pepe Reina
13. Brad Guzan
14. Jussi Jääskeläinen
15. David De Gea
16. Ali Al Habsi
17. Adam Federici
18. Mark Schwarzer
19. Wojciech Szczesny
20. Kelvin Davis

 

My first thought was that there's no way Mig is top then I started to do it myself and realised its not exactly a golden era for keepers!! I have to put Reina higher up as he was number 1 for a number of years for me and I feel he still has it in him to be the best again, but his poor form is lingering a long time - would still have him ahead of most of that lot though who are suprisingly bad now i look at them! Foster I'm not as convinced by as you and Friedal is still an excellent keeper in my eyes. Caesar seems hit and miss, a touch Hurelio Gomes to me.


01. Mignolet
02. Joe Hart
03. Pepe Reina
04. Michel Vorm
05. Asmir Begovic
06. Brad Friedal
07. John Ruddy
08. Petr Cech
09. Tim Krul
10. Julio Caesar
11. Tim Howard
12. Brad Guzan
13. Jussi Jääskeläinen
14. David De Gea
15. Ben Foster
16. Ali Al Habsi
17. Adam Federici
18. Mark Schwarzer
19. Wojciech Szczesny
20. Kelvin Davis

 

There is no right or wrong answer but i would perhaps disagree with all of those! Ive just smoked a fatty so i cant write mine! Rep though good thread and all good keepers

 

It's a simple enough suggestion JPF, but not such a simple answer.

I definitely rate Mignolet, seen him pull off some amazing saves this season.
Joe Hart, normally solid, has been wobbly at times recently,
Szczesny and De Gea, hmm, I put them in the Grobbelar categorie, bordering brilliant/farsical comedy, pull off some brilliant saves, then make some howlers.
Friedl, Al Habsi, Vorm, have been ok so far,
Reina, looks to be returning to form, he was poor before he was injured, and Petr Cech, not the player he was.

I definitely will return to this post, when I've studied the form a little more.

 

01. Joe Hart - In a bad trot but still a class act
02. Petr Cech - not what he was but shouldn't mistake his class
03. Reina - as above
04. Tim Krul - bad trot up until last week, very consistent
05. Michel Vorm - think he is very good
06. Asmir Begovic - as above
07. Mignolet - Still very dodgy on set pieces for me JPF, but great shot stopper
08. Brad Friedal - still looks as good as ever
09. Tim Howard - a fine keeper
10. Brad Guzan - been impressed with this lad but haven't seen loads
11. Ruddy - fairly solid
12. De Gea - not as bad as some think, very good shop stopper, think he'll end up near the top within 5 years
13. Julio Caesar - haven't seen enough since arriving
14. Ben Foster - hit and miss
15. Wojciech Szczesny - another I think will rise up this table
16. Jussi Jääskeläinen - looks just the wrong side
17. Mark Schwarzer - as above
18. Ali Al Habsi - crazy cat
19. Adam Federici - not up to the level
20. Kelvin Davis - as above

 

Krul's kicking and distribution separates him from the top keepers in this league. One of the best shot stoppers around, and certainly on of the best 1 v 1

 

Too much is made of Krul's kicking and distribution, it's not as bad as some people make out.

If he's got a fault it's probably the time he takes to get the ball away.

By the way, I owe you rep TheJPF.

 

I'm actually talking from seeing him with my own eyes. I really think it's very poor. I'd go as far as to say more often than not it either ends up on the chest/ forehead of an opposing player, or he gets no height on it at all. His kicking is awful when under pressure

 

I'm talking from seeing him with my own eyes too, and I don't think it's as bad as has been made out.

 

Fair enough. What I meant was I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon here, I genuinely think it's bad but maybe I'm missing something. It's easier to remember someone doing something wrong than it is doing something right I suppose.

 

I sit just behind the goal and get a pretty good view of where the ball goes to and I wouldn't say his kicking was all that bad. However, we're all entitled to our opinions.

 

01. John Ruddy - Under rated and made some fantastic saves to keep clean sheets.
02. Mignolet - Playing very well for Sunderland right now. I still think Krul is better all round, but so far this season Mig has been fantastic.
03. Asmir Begovic - Doing fantastic for Stoke
04. Tim Krul - Made some fantastic saves and saved us from being embarassed at times.
05. David De Gea - Superb reaction saves.
06. Brad Guzan - Looks quality and has made some immense saves and been quite solid.
07. Joe Hart - Not at his best so far, but still very good.

Can't be bothered to order the rest, but these 7 have been the better GK's so far.

 

Personality wise and for interaction with the fans, Paddy Kenny would take some beating. He always had great rapport with us, and enjoyed a laugh, even at himself sometimes.

 

That's nearly spot on for me. Mig needs to keep up the good work. Our season would be looking even worse without him.

 

It's a tough one to judge on individual merit, as often 'keepers are made to look bad by the 4 guys stood in front of them.

For me De Gea is streets ahead of Lindegaard but gets a lot of stick for his errors, although they've become more few and far between nowadays. He is let down all too often by poor defending so the stats make him look worse than he is. The same for me applies to Cech and to Reina especially. Liverpool's defenders are poor at best, including Agger who they seem to think is some kind of brick wall and Pepe Reina is paying the price for the poor defending. Jerzy Dudek for example was a clown in nets, but he had quality in front of him, I have no doubt that Cech and Reina along with De Gea's performances would improve if their defenders stopped letting them down and allowed them to gain some confidence.

Anyway on individual merit I'd say the top 5 are:

1. Asmir Begovic
2. Tim Howard
3. Mignolet
4. Vorm
5. Hart

Last season this was easier to answer.

 

Good point, but of course goalkeepers often shine brightest when the defence is woeful, they have the most shots to save. Take Shay Given in (a lot of) his years with us. One of the greatest skills of a truly "world class" keeper is his ability to play in a team where 85 mins can pass without incident, and they can still switch it on to make a wonderful save, something I think Joe Hart has most obviously proved during his emergence, albeit his form isn't peaking at present. The only reason I find myself unable to rate him higher than 3rd is because I think the two I've placed above him are exceptional.

I think it's only fair I unleash my reasoning behind my selections. My ideal keeper, having been one myself, is someone who not only keeps the ball out of the net, but snuffs out further need for saves. Paul Robinson, to me, was one of the most overhyped, overrated, pathetic premier league goalies I've seen. He had potential at Leeds, but time and again palms the ball limply when catching is a must. That's my pet hate in football. Goalkeeping is a position that I think should have very little difference between professionals no matter which league, with that bit more ounce of excellence in agility and confidence perhaps being key, but palming a shot every-time is pathetic and is lower league standard.

At the top end: Mignolet I pick as the best keeper in the league, because he's a wonderful shot-stopper, has good distribution and I think is very efficient when clearing the ball from set-pieces, just beating out Asmir and Joe who have almost identical attributes. Time may tell if they are deserving of the cream should they move on to bigger clubs.
Caesar, for me, exhibits the class of old. He's a very good keeper, and has surprised me in coming here and being so much obviously better than Rob Green (who I have to say is a terrible keeper and another "palmer").

Ben Foster people won't agree on, but I do find it weird that Newcastle fans especially rank him so low. Every time he's come to ours he's had a stormer. Anyone remember the last time Ben came up with Brum? He made at least 3 world class saves in probably the best display I've seen from a goalie while holding a season ticket. He's a wonderful shot stopper, and he's improved at his distribution and collection of crosses a lot since his early days. The one question mark over him was what I've already mentioned in relation to "switching on". At Man Utd he proved that he didn't have that knack, his concentration under pressure wasn't good enough. But goalkeeping is an "old man's" game, and I'd back him to be better prepared if he stepped up again. I rate him at 7 because of this question, but fundamentally I rate him as one of my favourite under-rated goalie at present.

In the middle: Pepe Reina. My conclusion of him will bring out the pitchforks, but I think 12th is about accurate, he's average. He's another one with the palming and the subsequent mistakes. Better than most palmers, no doubt, but no better than average on that list. Why do I think people rate him so highly? Well because pundits (who haven't played in goal for the most part, and who usually support Liverpool) have crammed down our throats that every save he makes is world class. When I see a save from a shot straight at a goalie, I don't think "world class", just like I don't unleash an ocean of man happiness when Torres scores every 6 games... "He's back, he's better than ever, he's world class" we get every week he scores... Sorry, but not only does it look like he's lost his pace, his confidence and his touch, he looks like he's lost a pair of chromosomes too. Pepe is over-rated in my opinion, massively.

Tim Krul is a good keeper, and I think could be great. He's suffered a couple of unhelpful injuries, but in full swing he's a very good keeper. Question marks over his positioning and some of his shot-stopping would prevent me putting him in the top 3, but his kicking under pressure drop him even lower. His kicking in general (particularly from goal-kicks) has vastly improved since the middle of last season, however, and if the rest of his game picks up, he'll be heading up the table.

Petr Cech. Once an unbelievable keeper, now curtailed somewhat by that injury and possibly made comical by the constant reliance on a rugby hat that'd do sweet f-all if the same incident occurred. He's still capable of showing the commanding goalie of old in glimpses, but a nervousness and seemingly permanent loss of confidence around bodies means he's just not great anymore. I would still rate him as a good player, though.

The lower end: De Gea gets similar reception from pundits, but it seems a thinly disguised pander to Fergie rather than legitimate praise, which wouldn't surprise me considering how desperate everyone is for his approval and the amount of criticism De Gea received at first. He's a talented shot-stopper, of course, but not even the best in the league at that. The rest of his game is fairly poor for a premier league goalie, which is why bog-standaaard gets played so often. I think he will adapt in time, but for now doesn't come close to top 10.

Schwarzer. My all time favourite under-rated goalkeeper. Sadly 18th on the list now. At Boro he was incredible, I thought he was one of the best shot-stoppers in the world. Now, he's looking aged, but he still has something left to contribute. Arsenal's keeper is a maniac. He's got poor positioning, poor concentration and in terms of shot-stoppers he wouldn't even rank that highly. He can be good on his day, but it would be folly to even call him erratic so few do these good days number. He's rash and stupid. Quite honestly, the only fathomable way he's talked about as a good keeper amongst Arsenal fans is because they've had a few utter crap ones!


Overall I'm very pleased with everyone else's view. Always good to canvass opinion on this sort of thing, we're all going to have different ideals!

 

His kicking in general (particularly from goal-kicks) has vastly improved since the middle of last season, however, and if the rest of his game picks up, he'll be heading up the table.

Pleased you added that TheJPF, some people don't seem to have noticed it.

 

I think it was about mid-season last year it all became better, during the middle of a match I think. I wish I had written down which one... It was incredible, I'd been moaning about it into my hand and DT's ear since the beginning, and screaming for him to connect with it, and suddenly he did. His kicks before that would limply fall into the middle of the park at the opposition midfielder's feet, or even shorter. I think his goal-kicks are pretty decent. He can aim them much better now as well.

Let's get something straight, most goal-kicks do "go long", and for me that's no issue at all. Sometimes from claiming a ball (one of his strengths is claiming a ball from a cross, I think he's possibly the best in the league at this), he hesitates on a short pass and bunts it long, which is frustrating though, and as said his kicking under pressure could be a lot better. But overall, it's improving well in quite a short space of time